Monthly Night Sky Report: July 2022

    Introduction

    The June weather in Utah was all over the place. The temperature would go from above 90° F one day down to 65° F the next with snow in the mountains. I hope this did not prevent you from viewing some objects from the Messier Catalog. If it did, I hope at the very least, you were able to view the morning planetary lineup.

    The planetary lineup will continue through the early part of July. By mid-month, Mercury will reach superior conjunction with the Sun and will be lost from view until the end of the month. At this time, Mercury will become an evening planet. The other planets will rise earlier with each passing day except for Venus, which will fall closer to the Sun. This month will bring the return of the meteor shower with the Southern Delta Aquariid Meteors. This shower will coincide with a New Moon, offering the chance to view even the dimmest meteors. This Night Sky Report will also feature the Messier Objects in the Scorpius and Scutum constellations. 

             

Mercury

       Mercury will be the last planet to rise before the Sun during the first week of July. By mid-month, Mercury will be too close to the Sun to be viewed and will reach superior conjunction on the 16th. Mercury will reemerge and will be found in the evening sky. The best chance of viewing this tiny planet is during the first two days of July or after the 24th when this tiny world will be visible in the evening sky shortly after sunset. A thin crescent Moon will join Mercury on the 29th. Search for the Moon right after sunset on this date and Mercury can be found to the lower left.       

  

Venus

    Venus will rise between 4:30 and 5:00 in the morning, shortly after the Pleiades at the beginning of the month. As the month continues, the background stars will rise earlier while Venus continues to rise at the same time each morning. By the 20th, Venus can be found near Orion in the morning sky. The best chance to view this pair in the morning sky will be on the last morning of the month around 5:30 in the morning. A thin crescent Moon will join Venus on the 26th above the eastern horizon. Throughout the month, Venus can be found passing close by a few objects from the Messier Catalog. The prime time for viewing these objects will come later this year when they are higher in the sky.    

    

Mars

    Mars will rise above the mountains around 2:30 in the morning at the beginning of the month and a full two hours earlier by the month's end. Observers that consistently watch the morning sky will notice the Pleiades moving closer to the Red Planet. The pair can be found close together in August, which may present a great astrophotography target. The Moon will join Mars in the sky on the 21st.      

Jupiter

Saturn

    Jupiter will continue to be the third planet to rise above the mountains during July. It will trail behind Saturn, which rises about an hour before Jupiter, and Neptune, which rises about 30 minutes prior. By the end of the month, Jupiter will rise above the mountains just before midnight which is two hours earlier than the start of the month. Views of Jupiter through a telescope will change each night due to its fast rotation and the four Galilean Moons. The Moon will join Jupiter in the sky on the morning of the 19th.    

    Saturn will continue to lead the morning planetary lineup by rising above the mountains just after midnight on the first. By the end of the month, Saturn can be found creeping above the mountains just after 10:00 pm. The Moon will be found close to Saturn on the 15th. A small telescope can easily reveal the rings of Saturn for observers willing to wait for this planet to become visible.     

   

    The prime time for viewing Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will come later this year. Make sure your gear is ready for observing! I recommend using a widefield eyepiece to capture the background stars of whatever planet you are looking at, as well as a high-powered eyepiece to view as much detail as your telescope and the sky allows. A great alternative is a zoom eyepiece which allows you to accomplish both tasks with one eyepiece! 

   

Neptune

Uranus

    

    The outer two planets are best viewed through a telescope but can still be seen through a pair of binoculars.  Uranus can be found at about the midway point between Venus and Mars for the first five days of the month. After this time, Uranus can be found closer to Mars as the Red Planet moves eastward in our sky. By the end of the month, Uranus and Mars can be found with about 1° of separation. The Moon can be found close to Uranus on the 22nd. 

   

    Neptune will continue to be found between Jupiter and Saturn during July. This planet will be found closer to Jupiter in our sky than it will be to Saturn. An observer can draw a line connecting Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in the sky and will find Neptune on this line as well. The Moon can be found between Jupiter and Neptune on the 18th, which may help observers locate the 8th planet.    

Meteor Shower 

   The Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower will peak on the 30th of July. The New Moon occurs on the 28th of this month, making this shower a great one to watch due to the Moon-free sky. Observers may witness up to 25 meteors per hour if they can get away from all sources of light pollution. August brings the return of the Perseids, perhaps the most anticipated meteor shower of the year. The Perseids are active from the end of July through the middle of August. Unfortunately, the peak date coincides with a Full Moon this year, so use this opportunity to view the Aquariid Meteors as well as the early arriving meteors from the Perseids. 

Spot Me....🕵️  

    This post will focus on the Messier objects in the Scorpius and Scutum constellations. The six objects in these two constellations are globular star clusters, like M13 (Hercules Cluster), and open star clusters, like M45 (Pleiades). We haven't officially visited M45 yet on the Messier list, but I have talked about this object in previous posts. The first four objects can be found in Scorpius. This constellation can be found in the southern sky immediately after sunset this month. Scorpius passes through the southern Milky Way Band which is full of other DSOs. Antares the red supergiant, makes this constellation easy to find.  

    The image below, taken from Stellarium, shows what the night sky will look like after sunset during July. The bright star in the center of the image is Antares.

Looking South after sunset during July.

    The image below shows the same sky but with constellation lines and labels to help identify the constellations in this area of the sky. 

Constellation labels and lines.

    To find the first two objects in Scorpius, focus your attention on Antares. The globular cluster M4 (aka Spider Globular, Crab Globular, and NGC 6121) can be found just to the right of Antares. I recommend using a low-power eyepiece and center Antares in your field of view. After doing so, pan to the right to find M4. See the image below for the location of M4.

Location of M4 in Scorpius.

  Our next target is M80 (aka NGC 6030) which is also a globular cluster. To find this object, target Antares once again. Instead of moving to the right, move along the imaginary line that connects Antares to the uppermost star that represents the pincher of the scorpion. M80 can be found about halfway between these two stars. See the image below for the location of M80.         

Location of M80 in Scorpius.

    The final two objects in Scorpius are open star clusters and can be found near the tip of the tail, or the stinger, of Scorpius. M6 (aka Butterfly Cluster and NGC 6405) is easiest to find if you can see the Milky Way Band. By centering the stinger star (named Shaula) in your low-power eyepiece, follow the angle of the Milky Way Band to the upper left a short distance, and M6 should come into view. See the image below for the location of M6.

Location of M6 in Scorpius.

    Similar to finding M6, M7 (aka Ptolemy's Cluster and NGC 6475) can be found by centering Shaula in your low-power eyepiece, but this time, move to the left of this star, towards the edge of the Milky Way Band. Before leaving the star-studded background of the Milky Way Band, you should notice M7 pop into view. See the image below for the location of M7.

Location of M7 in Scorpius.

    The final two objects can be found in Scutum. The word Scutum is Latin for "shield." As I'm sure observers have noticed, constellations rarely look like what they have been named after. Scutum is certainly no exception. This constellation can be found high in the southeast sky after sunset during July, placing it and any DSOs in a great location for binocular or telescopic views. Below is an image from Stellarium of what the night sky will look like if you are looking towards the southeast after sunset during July. 

Looking southeast after sunset in July.

    In the image above, to the right of the center, you will notice Antares, the red supergiant which belongs to Scorpius. Near the top left, you will notice Altair, which belongs to Aquila. By forming an imaginary line connecting these two stars, an observer can find the stars of Scutum. This constellation lies completely inside the Milky Way Band. See the image below for help identifying the constellations.

Constellation lines and labels.

     Our first target for this constellation is M11 (aka Wild Duck Cluster and NGC 6705) which is an open star cluster. The easiest way for me to navigate to M11 is to target the top left star of Scutum in my low-power eyepiece and then slowly track downward from this star. If I have moved my telescope lower than the star in the top left, I know I have gone too far. The two top stars and M11 form a right triangle. See the image below for the location of M11.

   

Location of M11 in Scutum.

    The last target in Scutum is M26 (aka NGC 6694) which is also an open cluster. To find M26, I locate the two bright stars inside the boundary of Scutum. I then try to center the upper left star in my low-power eyepiece and again slowly track downward. M26 is about the same distance from this star as M11 is from the top left star of Scutum. See the image below for the location of M26. 

Location of M26 in Scutum.

    We covered quite a few Messier Catalog Objects in this post so take your time to view these objects over the next couple of weeks. In the next post, I will highlight the Messier Objects belonging to Ophiuchus. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog.

Monthly Breakdown

July 06:  First Quarter Moon 🌓

July 13:  Full Moon 🌕 

July 15:  Moon passes within 4° of Saturn

July 16:  Mercury reaches superior conjunction

July 17:  Moon passes within 3° of Neptune

July 18:  Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter 

July 20:  Last Quarter Moon🌗

July 21:  Moon passes within 1° of Mars          

July 22:  Moon passes within 0.05° of Uranus

July 26:  Moon passes within 4° of Venus

July 28:  New Moon 🌑

July 30:  Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower peaks 

       

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Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.

    

Midmonth Check-In: June 2022

Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    

    June is well underway and has offered observers many opportunities to view the stars, planets, and DSOs above. I hope that you have had the chance to view M13 and M92 in Hercules. If not, don't worry! The best time to view Hercules is during the summer months when this constellation is high in the sky, reducing the amount of atmospheric disturbance. However, Hercules will remain above the horizon for stargazers until December.

    Aside from unpredictable bright meteor streaks across the night sky, the remainder of June will be quiet. There are still some conjunctions between the planets and the Moon and the greatest western elongation of Mercury (June 16th) to look forward to. The quiet months create the best opportunities to view DSOs, so take your telescope out every chance you get to view them!

Messier Targets 🔭

    

    The Messier Catalog contains 110 objects to view throughout the year. Most of these objects require a telescope or a pair of binoculars. As with all DSOs, observing from a location with minimal light pollution will enhance your views. If using a telescope, I recommend using a low-power eyepiece to help find the object, then increase the power to bring out more detail. Earlier this month, I highlighted M13 and M92 in Hercules and how to spot them. This post will describe how to spot five more objects in Draco, Lyra, and Serpens. 

    The first object is a galaxy that is located in Draco. It has been designated as M102 (aka Spindle Galaxy or NGC 5866) and glows at a dim 9.9 magnitude. When first locating M102 in your telescope, it may appear as a fuzzy blob (typical of a DSO) but if you take your time and view this object, more detail will become apparent. Draco can be found high in the northeastern sky after sunset. The bright star Vega can be used to help locate this constellation if needed. As mentioned last post, Hercules can be found to the upper (towards the zenith) right of Vega. Draco can be found to the upper left of Vega near Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). Unfortunately, there are no bright stars to help guide an observer to M102, so below I have included some screenshots from Stellarium to help find its location. You may also use your favorite stargazing app to help locate this object. 

    This first image is looking towards the northeast after sunset. Recall that Polaris is the tip of the handle of Ursa Minor or the tip of the tail of the Little Dipper (left side of image). Also, notice the bright star Vega near the lower right in the constellation Lyra.  

Image to help identify the constellations in the eastern sky.

Location of M102 circled in orange.

    The next two objects belong to the constellation Lyra. Vega also belongs to Lyra, making M56 (NGC 6779) and M57 (aka Ring Nebula or NGC 6720) easier to find than M102. To find M56, locate the constellations Lyra and Cygnus. Using the head of Cygnus, an observer can draw an imaginary line in the sky towards Lyra. About halfway between these two constellations, M56 can be found. See the images below for guidance if needed.     

Image to help identify constellations in the eastern sky.

Location of M56 halfway between the head of Cygnus and Lyra.

    The next Messier object in Lyra, M57 (Ring Nebula), is located between the two stars at the end of Lyra opposite Vega. This location is just above M56.  

Location of M57, the Ring Nebula.

    The final two objects, M5 (aka Rose Cluster or NGC 5904) and M16 (aka Eagle Nebula or NGC 6611) are located in Serpens. Looking at a resource like Stellarium, both of these objects appear to be in different constellations, however, some constellations are large and incorporate several smaller constellations in them, such as the case of Serpens. Shifting your gaze towards the south, an observer will notice the bright red star, Antares. This star belongs to Scorpius where other Messier objects can be found. For now, shift your eyes to the constellation to the upper left. This is Serpens, but also contains the stars of Ophiuchus. Hopefully, this familiarizes you with this region of the sky. This time of year, the easiest way for me to find M5 is to move back to Antares and slowly guide my telescope, with a low-power eyepiece in the focuser, upward towards Arcturus. If I reach Arcturus, I know I have gone too far and will move back down to Antares and start over until I find it. These images from Stellarium should be able to help guide you if needed.

Looking towards the south after sunset. Antares is found bottom right of the center. Arcturus is labeled at the upper right. Altair is labeled to the left. Vega is to the upper left for reference.

Location of M5, the Rose Cluster.

    To find M16, I move my scope back to Antares. Instead of guiding it towards Arcturus, I guide it to the east, towards Altair. About halfway to Altair, in the Milky Way band, you should be able to spot M16. See the image from Stellarium for guidance.

Location of M16, the Eagle Nebula. 

     

    The Messier Catalog is a popular stargazing catalog for astronomers. I have created a Google Sheets file with each target including its Messier Catalog number, NGC number, Common Name, Magnitude, Sky Coordinates, Constellation, and the Viewing Season. I have also included columns for Eyepieces Used, Date Viewed, and a Notes section. Additionally, I have created separate tabs which categorize the Messier Catalog by Season, Constellation, Magnitude, and Classification. I will add to the notes section in which post I described how to find each Messier object.   

 

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Now get outside and look up!